The present invention relates broadly to the art of winding and reeling. More particularly this invention relates to a swift for holding skeins of yarn to be unwound vertically onto a package suitable for carpet tufting, beaming, weaving, knitting and other textile finishing machinery.
Devices of this character are known in the art but are generally arranged horizontally. Horizontal swifts have to be loaded by hand or by a machine and then placed onto a winder or take-up machine. The machine then has to pull the swift, rotating it and thus limiting the speed of operation, causing excess tension and at all times rotating the entire skein of yarn.
A swift arranged on a vertical axis for use in unwinding coils of wire is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,122,812 to Somerville. However, the coil support bars or arms are expandable under the action of centrifugal force. U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,840 discloses a foldable reel disposed on a vertical axis and having expandable arms that are urged outwardly by spring means.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a vertical swift having skein supporting arms that are expandable under the action of pneumatically operated plunger means and which arms can move to retracted position upon release of the pressure acting on such plunger means.